Common Branding Terms

Brand alignment: Consistency in expression, communication, values across multiple mediums, products, and services (also referred to as brand congruency).

Brand archetype: Based on the archetypes developed by Carl Yung, 12 brand archetype were developed as a way of presenting a brand — its symbology, values, behaviors, messages — as a persona, making it more recognizable and relatable to target audiences. Brand archetypes give brands a character that makes them accessible and relatable to audiences who share those same values.

Brand awareness: Public common knowledge about a specific entity, organization or brand.

Brand clarity: The ease and simplicity with which a brand can be perceived and explained to others (also referred to as brand coherence).

Brand experience: The sum of the sensations, thoughts, feelings, and reactions that individuals have in response to a brand. Brand experience is not specific to a channel or media type but is the lasting impression that remains after someone encounters or engages with a brand in any environment.

Brand identity: The way an organization presents itself to the public, both visually and in repeated key messaging. Brand identity is made up of several components; a general aesthetic, logo, tone etc. and is developed with a focus on who the organization wishes to appeal to and the core message they want to communicate to them.

Brand image: The set of beliefs held about a specific brand by its customers, clients or partners. presently.

Brand personality: Refers to a set of human characteristics that are attributed to a brand. The traits must be an authentic reflection of the organization and consistent with how clients view the organization. These traits are useful in crafting messaging, tone and look-and-feel of communication materials (also referred to as brand DNA).

Brand promise: Explains what an organization does, for whom and why it matters in 25 words or less (also referred to as the offer statement). UC ANR makes a difference in the lives of Californians by supporting and improving the health of our state’s communities, environment, food systems, workforce and economy. The brand promise is closely related to the brand purpose statement, which is more lofty/aspirational in nature and future-focused: UC ANR is improving the life of every Californian.

Brand signature: The visual treatment that combines the logo with any additional identity marks or typographic elements intended to illustrate an affiliation with a parent brand (also referred to as co-branding).

Brand value proposition: The services or products offered by an organization have a specific value proposition. Organizations use brand messages to inform existing and potential clients what makes them different from their competitors, as well as what the brand stands for.

Logo: A visual treatment to identify a program, institute, or organization, whether it includes a mark, a typographic treatment, or a combination of both. A logo is one of the many components that represent a brand and must be designed to be easily recognized.

Parent brand: The main or overarching brand of an organization (e.g., UC ANR)

Sub-brands: Members of the brand family under the parent brand (e.g., 4-H, Master Gardener, Master Food Preserver, NPI, etc.)

Photo by Marianne Bird